3 year maintenance Brake fluid/pad and rear differential fluid

[DR.COKE]

Car is hitting 3 years old and want some guidance. 12,000 miles on car and averaging 400 miles a month as a weekend work car/costco run. Don’t see myself tracking anytime soon.
1) change the dirty stock brake pads.
looking at powerstop Z17 or Z26 or what you recommend. Want no dust/noise but close TO OEM stopping.

2) time for brake fluid. Time reading hear I see Castrol SRF As best follow by RBF-600. Any issue with these for non track use and minimal driving? anything Recommend here cheaper or readily available in local stores like Autozone? Car is in south florida where it’s always raining.

3) what rear differential fluid and how much you recommend.

4) Battery is still original and BimmerLink shows 50%, cranks up fine even after no use for 3 weeks. Since it’s my first Bimmer and herd horror stories when battery completely dies, when you recommend new battery? At 20%?

Gonna start getting parts ready so when winter hits and outside is below 90 degrees I can work on car.
thanks

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[FLtrackdays]

Car is hitting 3 years old and want some guidance. 12,000 miles on car and averaging 400 miles a month as a weekend work car/costco run. Don’t see myself tracking anytime soon.
1) change the dirty stock brake pads.
looking at powerstop Z17 or Z26 or what you recommend. Want no dust/noise but close TO OEM stopping.

2) time for brake fluid. Time reading hear I see Castrol SRF As best follow by RBF-600. Any issue with these for non track use and minimal driving? anything Recommend here cheaper or readily available in local stores like Autozone? Car is in south florida where it’s always raining.

3) what rear differential fluid and how much you recommend.

4) Battery is still original and BimmerLink shows 50%, cranks up fine even after no use for 3 weeks. Since it’s my first Bimmer and herd horror stories when battery completely dies, when you recommend new battery? At 20%?

Gonna start getting parts ready so when winter hits and outside is below 90 degrees I can work on car.
thanks

1) Rockauto.com or your local auto parts store, ceramic pads will be low dust and work just fine if not tracking/repeated threshold braking
2) Castrol SRF. That high wet boiling temp can’t be beat. Well worth the $60 bucks
3) Motul 105777 GEAR 300 75W90 100% Synthetic Gear Tans Diff Oil (2 Liter) 2 Pack https://a.co/d/14puLx3
4) PowerTex Batteries BCI Group 94R / H7 Lithium LiFePO4 - you’ll pay a little bit more but it’s lighter, last way longer, less susceptible to heat degradation, night and day difference on startup
https://powertexbatteries.com/produ...ium-iron-phosphate-lifepo4-automotive-battery

 

[lucky phil]

Diff oil should be fine at 12,000 miles with your usage.
Phil

 

[MyronGains]

If you’re not tracking the car, there’s no need to upgrade to a Dot 4 or other race fluid. The high temp brake fluids gather moisture faster than the standard stuff and will actually foul faster than regular fluid so you’ll be flushing it more often for no benefit.

 

[razorlab]

If you’re not tracking the car, there’s no need to upgrade to a Dot 4 or other race fluid. The high temp brake fluids gather moisture faster than the standard stuff and will actually foul faster than regular fluid so you’ll be flushing it more often for no benefit.

FYI, OEM Is Dot 4, but other than that, I agree with you. Just use OEM again or equivelant for street use.

 

[SuupYota]

Also , if you dont drive much, I'd invest in a trickle charger. I have about the same driving habits as you, and wish I would have gotten one sooner. It sits for a while sometimes before drives.

 

[DR.COKE]

As OEM BMW brake fluid dot 4 was easy to find:
brake fluid 81-22-142-156
https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-parts/bmw-dot-4-brake-fluid-12-oz-81220142156
around $5 a bottle.

as Toyota brake fluid Dot 4 it looks impossible to find. Closest I got was
brake fluid: 00475-10766-BF
https://autoparts.toyota.com/products/product/brake-fluid-0047510766bf
doesnt tell me it’s Dot3 or Dot4 And around $10 a bottle.

When it comes to water absorption from daily driving/parked outside, i get conflicting information regarding water absorpotion. Is Dot 4 better or worse at water absorbing? Guess it doesn’t matter if stock Supra are Dot 4. Try going on any Toyota parts website and all I see is Dot 3 for sale.
I wonder for those taking there Supra to Toyota dealer if they are getting Dot 3 as replacement.

 

[razorlab]

As OEM BMW brake fluid dot 4 was easy to find:
brake fluid 81-22-142-156
https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-parts/bmw-dot-4-brake-fluid-12-oz-81220142156
around $5 a bottle.

as Toyota brake fluid Dot 4 it looks impossible to find. Closest I got was
brake fluid: 00475-10766-BF
https://autoparts.toyota.com/products/product/brake-fluid-0047510766bf
doesnt tell me it’s Dot3 or Dot4 And around $10 a bottle.

When it comes to water absorption from daily driving/parked outside, i get conflicting information regarding water absorpotion. Is Dot 4 better or worse at water absorbing? Guess it doesn’t matter if stock Supra are Dot 4. Try going on any Toyota parts website and all I see is Dot 3 for sale.
I wonder for those taking there Supra to Toyota dealer if they are getting Dot 3 as replacement.

It's Dot 4. Just use a high quality Dot 4, like Pentosin Dot 4 LV. I actually think Pentosin is OEM.

https://www.bimmerworld.com/Brakes/...scosity-Brake-Fluid-81220142156-Pentosin.html

 

[exe36m3]

CTEK Charger - that battery will last forever. Run at about once a quarter.

Use on my son's 2015 435i (still on original battery), wife's '21 X3, and my '22 Supra. We all drive less than 500 miles a month so a lot of short trips.

Unit runs about $135-ish on Amazon. CTEK makes the OEM BMW version. CTEK Multi 4.3 Test & Charge 56-959

 

[J29DB03]

CTEK Charger - that battery will last forever. Run at about once a quarter.

Use on my son's 2015 435i (still on original battery), wife's '21 X3, and my '22 Supra. We all drive less than 500 miles a month so a lot of short trips.

Unit runs about $135-ish on Amazon. CTEK makes the OEM BMW version. CTEK Multi 4.3 Test & Charge 56-959

Unfortunately a battery tender/charger is no guarantee with the OEM battery. I use one and the battery still died on me. It’s the nature with an AGM battery. One day they are showing as 96% in BimmerLink, the next they are dead as a doornail. Last you longer, yes. Last forever, no.

OP, if your battery is showing 50% I would replace it ASAP.

 

[FLtrackdays]

Unfortunately a battery tender/charger is no guarantee with the OEM battery. I use one and the battery still died on me. It’s the nature with an AGM battery. One day they are showing as 96% in BimmerLink, the next they are dead as a doornail. Last you longer, yes. Last forever, no.

OP, if your battery is showing 50% I would replace it ASAP.

After switching to LiPO4 (such as the PowerTex ones), I doubt I’ll go back to lead/acid AGM type again. Since they die off quickly approaching that 3rd year of use ?

Edit: careful if you let your battery sit for long periods of time. The lithium phosphate ones from PowerTex require a charger with BMS wake ability.

 

[FLtrackdays]

When it comes to water absorption from daily driving/parked outside, i get conflicting information regarding water absorpotion. Is Dot 4 better or worse at water absorbing? Guess it doesn’t matter if stock Supra are Dot 4. Try going on any Toyota parts website and all I see is Dot 3 for sale.
I wonder for those taking there Supra to Toyota dealer if they are getting Dot 3 as replacement.

Like Bryan said, ours comes with DOT4. It has better performance characteristics but also attracts water easier. Castro SRF is a lot more expensive but even it’s wet temps are far better than most of the others dry boiling points. However, like many have said, it’s definitely overkill if not tracking and you change your brake fluid every two years.

If you want to know more, the long:

https://rxmechanic.com/dot-3-vs-dot-4-vs-dot-5

And the short:

https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/dot-4-brake-fluid

 

[Vertex]

As a few others have said, I wouldn't change out the pads for anything more aggressive unless you are going to be tracking the car a lot. The oem brakes are more than sufficient (just actually had my first track weekend two weekends ago) and I can't say I personally noticed much of a difference if any between my car and my buddies when I rode with him other than just driver mod. I also wouldn't change brake fluid out either with anything made for high temps, again, unless you plan on tracking it.

This car actually already comes in way better shape and form to run on all oem stuff aside from the brake fluid possibly boiling if you're running it hard enough.

The one thing I would highly recommend is getting an alignment done on the car if you haven't already. That's about the only thing I'd maybe do and a better front sway bar.

 

[razorlab]

After switching to LiPO4 (such as the PowerTex ones), I doubt I’ll go back to lead/acid AGM type again. Even with our trickle charger, they die off quickly approaching that 3rd year of use ?

I've had the opposite experience. I have three LiPO4's sitting in my garage and an AGM back in the car. Got sick of the LiPO4's just randomly deciding they were done living.

AGM has been rock solid since I put it back in.

 

[BA9092]

Car is hitting 3 years old and want some guidance. 12,000 miles on car and averaging 400 miles a month as a weekend work car/costco run. Don’t see myself tracking anytime soon.
1) change the dirty stock brake pads.
looking at powerstop Z17 or Z26 or what you recommend. Want no dust/noise but close TO OEM stopping.

2) time for brake fluid. Time reading hear I see Castrol SRF As best follow by RBF-600. Any issue with these for non track use and minimal driving? anything Recommend here cheaper or readily available in local stores like Autozone? Car is in south florida where it’s always raining.

3) what rear differential fluid and how much you recommend.

4) Battery is still original and BimmerLink shows 50%, cranks up fine even after no use for 3 weeks. Since it’s my first Bimmer and herd horror stories when battery completely dies, when you recommend new battery? At 20%?

Gonna start getting parts ready so when winter hits and outside is below 90 degrees I can work on car.
thanks

I have done all of this. I'm currently at 14k miles after 4 years.

1) I changed to the Z16 pads. Probably not great for tracking, but for street they're fine. Plus, no more brake dust!

2) I flushed mine not too long ago with RBF600 and the Motiv power bleeder.

3) Motul 300LS 75W90. Don't forget to get a new drain/fill plug!

4) I replaced my OEM AGM battery with the PowerTex 94R LiFePO4 since the car was in the showroom when I bought it so the battery was used up quite a bit by the time I drove home. (The dealer I picked it up from told me to get it reset at my local dealer since I had the battery low light on the way home.). Just remember to code it in the Bimmerlink app.

Additional: air filter (unless you have an aftermarket intake) and cabin air filter (below the glove box) - it's a cheap swap every couple years.

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